LEJOG-Training grinds to a halt !!

It had to happen. Just five weeks to go before we head NORTH out of Land's End and my training and fitness level is about to head SOUTH.

Ever since I had to cut my Dorset Boundary Ride short due to the death of my Father I have noticed a worsening cough. Well today I have had it confirmed that I have a severe chest infection and for the next two weeks at least the wise advice is that I put a hold on the training. Cycling to work is OK but the twenty mile dash is off the agenda. This could not come at a worse time as the plan was that I would be increasing the distance throughout August.This would then bring me up to the level of fitness I need to tackle the 100 miles a day I will be doing on the LEJOG itself. There does not seem to be anything that I can do about this. If I ignore the advice I could make the infection worse and risk not being able to even start the ride. So it seems that for the next couple of weeks my training will consist of pottering to work on my bike and watching old videos of the Tour De France !! As far as I can tell ,the other guys doing the ride are all still training well and on their planned schedules.

The picture above shows the three different saddles that I have had on the bike in my quest for a comfortable ride. The one on the left is the saddle supplied with the bike. It became obvious to me within the first few days of taking delivery of the bike that the saddle and I had to part company. It was the most uncomfortable object that I have ever sat on! The saddle on the right was the next one that I tried and for most trips up to about 50 miles it was fine. Over that distance it did not seem to offer the support that I needed. Now, the saddle in the middle is my Brooks Team Professional. The Brooks might look hard (and it is) but the more I use it the more comfortable it becomes. The great thing about a leather saddle is that IT shapes around your rear end so it becomes personal to you. The huge copper rivets of the Team Pro and the hard leather might put a lot of people off trying it, but believe me it IS comfortable.

A few years ago I did (with some others) the 24 hour Three Peaks Challenge to raise money for a local childrens charity. The hardest thing about that event was not the broken finger I got when I slipped over half way up Scafell Pike or the freezing conditions we found on the summit of both Snowden and Scafell. No, the hardest thing was trying to part people from their hard earned cash and get them to give it to others less fortunate. It was so difficult that I vowed that I would never do another charity event again!! Well here I am again and yes it is every bit as difficult as I remembered it to be. This time we have made it easier for people to show their support with a SECURE charity web page that they can go to and make a donation. Some people have been really generous with very large donations and I would like to say thanks to everyone who has made a donation so far, for their support. Every pound counts, so even if you are not able to make a large donation a couple of pounds will be appreciated just as much. It is all about GIVING! We are giving our time and effort to complete the ride and all we ask is that you give a donation no matter how large or small to support us and the Dorset Kidney Fund. Please go to www.justgiving.com/revproteamride and support us and help to make the fundraising the easiest and not the most difficult part of the whole event.